A highly rugged 19 dBm 28GHz PA using novel PAFET device in 45RFSOI technology achieving peak efficiency above 48%

5G NR mmWave band PA applications use the high PAPR modulation which requires very low EVM along with a reliable operation at high peak power levels. This work shows the exceptional HCI reliability, linearity and efficiency that 45RFSOI technology offers for mmWave PAs. In particular, the design uses novel PAFET transistor which offers 22% higher voltage handling capability compared to the RVT (Regular Vt) transistor thereby enabling a reliable 10 year lifetime at higher Pout. A differential 2-stack single stage PA design is presented that demonstrates best in class Psat=18.8 dBm with 48% peak PAE, while showing less than 0.1 dB degradation during a 4:1 VSWR stress.